On August 26, 2020, Alteryx hosted its first ever Twitter chat featuring Alteryx ACEs. Using #alteryxchat, we posed six questions to the ACEs to get their insights into everything from digital transformation to their feelings on data democracy. Here, we’ve included three of the questions so you can follow along. You can also check out the other three in this blog post on Community or join us on Twitter (@alteryx) to share your opinion.
Jason Mack: Biggest challenge is the organization’s willingness to re-think processes and revisit assumptions.
Mark Frisch: Yes @dataMack! I’ll drink to that. Wanting to change but be the same.
Heather Harris: A great first step for a successful digital transformation is assessing the data landscape. And Alteryx Connect can be a great accelerator.
Roland Schubert: Digital transformation isn’t just the digitalization of processes, but goes much further, requiring a new data-driven culture. Changing corporate culture and the corresponding change in thinking is the most challenging task.
Nick Haylund: No doubt tech is getting easier to use … we are in the golden age of data democratization.
Nick Haylund: That said, most companies are failing in the deployment of their data and analytics platforms. Chief E/D/T/I O’s aren’t seeing the ROI that they were expecting.
Nick Haylund: These two things are at odds … with tech getting easier to use, why aren’t companies seeing the ROI in analytics? Answer: Investments in enablement and empowerment with the tools.
Nick Haylund: Having and deploying the best-in-class data & analytics technologies will always be important. BUT… many groups often overlook investing time in people and process .
Nick Haylund: If your company invests in all three categories (ppl/process/tech) you’ll have an effective digital transformation across your enterprise. Really what you are trying to do is build a culture around analytics to achieve this transformation.
Mark Frisch: Ready. Fire! Aim. Do we understand the business process and have we analyzed and rationalized how automation will create a new paradigm? Are we “paving the cow path” or are we defining a new process?
Michael Barone: Silos. Getting buy-in from all players (C-level, Bus Units, individual EEs) to not only see the value, but also work together on every level.
Chris Lewis: The biggest challenge is definitely buy-in from all business partners involved and ensuring everyone can help in driving the change culturally.
Joseph Serpis: The biggest challenges are access to data, upskilling the workforce and improving data literacy at scale, across the organisation. Improving technology platforms or choosing the right technology stacks, which can cope with the demands of today and the future.
Jason Mack: APA helps by allowing a faster path to change processes through biz enablement while still having benefits of tech automation.
Heather Harris: Alteryx Analytic Process Automation not only allows me to connect to and blend many data sources for quick AI insights, but the API capabilities allow me to integrate it into my entire technology stack!
Abhilash Ramanathan: Point solutions, by definition, solve one aspect of a problem while APA helps address the barriers to digital transformation in a more holistic way by addressing each step of the analytic process lifecycle.
Roland Schubert: APA considers data, processes and people integrated, as indispensable components of transformation, brings data to those who need it through automated processes — for big as well as small decisions.
Nick Haylund: I haven’t had a tool that provided MORE value MORE quickly than Alteryx. The excitement after a solution is built in an hour … to address a problem that’s been around for years is hard to match.
Joseph Serpis: People need to be trained and feel confident using new solutions in their day jobs to use them effectively. APA allows you to automate simple to complex process with agility and empower your people, to deliver better and faster business outcomes.
Michael Barone: Usually will involve something that passes through various silos. Once you can get people on board with APA, by the very nature of it, you’ll be working much more closely with folks within those silos.
Heather Harris: APA allows me to provide a cohesive strategy to the C-suite that gives the organization quick ROI while also being a key accelerator in the long-term digital transformation strategy.
Roland Schubert: It also gives people the ability to use data the way they need it by providing simple, business user-focused tools in one platform, allowing everyone unleash their potential using analytics.
Nick Haylund: Once we get past the initial investment of this tech and quantify its annual impact … then the fun begins. Rinse and repeat the amazing solutions built with this tool by pairing it with enablement and upskill strategy.
Michael Barone: Once the value is seen (ROI) with APA, I’m sure you’ll be collaborating on more APA solutions between silos.
Roland Schubert: It opens new ways to use and understand data and to become part of a data-driven culture.
Heather Harris: Organizations love the way @alteryx APA provides a path to accelerated organizational upskilling. When I put together large-scale enterprise Alteryx training programs, I also carve out new career paths to align with digital transformation strategies.
Nick Haylund: This space is where careers are made.
Mark Fristh: And friendships too.
Mark Frisch: APA will HELP humans repeat the solutions to their challenges. APA answers the challenge with fidelity. Every time!
Joe Lipski: APA is the future because as @russch said if you do the same thing more than (I think) three times. Automate it so you don’t ever have to waste your time again.
Joseph Serpis: APA solves these by focusing on people which is key part that other categories or point solutions haven’t done so much to a great degree. Improving technology and tools is only part of the equation.
Chris Lewis: Alteryx and APA solve for more than just a single part of a solution. It enables users to build solutions in simpler fashion and makes upskilling easier.
Jason Mack: IT capacity was the scarce resource in traditional digital pivots. APA empowers business to accelerate that by playing an active role.
Roland Schubert: Transformation can only succeed if it affects the entire company. And with APA you have the chance to involve everyone who works with data, not just the individual.
Abhilash Ramanathan: APA empowers all users in organizations to perform analytics and automation instead of the siloed data science/engineering groups that traditionally do so.
Heather Harris: APA helps make business transformation a reality by opening new ways of engaging with and getting value out of data as a true business asset.
Nick Haylund: Bottom line: every company needs a dedicated (and invested in…) APA practice.
Michael Barone: Get everyone on board including the end user(s). At the end of the day, the value of APA is getting information to people quicker and more efficiently.
Nick Haylund: Here’s a follow-up question: How is it that it’s so easy to invest in a reporting/viz practice, when most of the work occurs *before* a record hits the dashboard?
Heather Harris: Organizations can think about @alteryx APA as the “glue” in “new age digital transformation” — providing immediate ROI while also being a sustainable solution for business insights in the “next gen” tech stack for the long haul.
Abhilash Ramanathan: Taking an ROI-based approach and enabling transformation at the grass-root level can help organizations achieve digital transformation effectively.
Michael Barone: The sales rep making use of an APA end-product needs to be involved IMHO just as much (even if on a different level) as the developers programming the APA.
Mark Frisch: Clients of mine (like https://t.co/oRRetwoZbg) are using APA to create analytics auto-magically. They are reaching new audiences with ease.
Chris Lewis: APA enables the decision-makers driving business transformation. Organizations really need to learn how to embrace change and know that change is the only constant.
Joseph Serpis: APA helps make business transformation become a reality by being more human-centric and encouraging collaboration. This in turn makes greater use of the investment in technology. Organizations should be thinking about their people as well as the technology.
Be Part of the Conversation
Join us for our next live #alteryxchat on November 11, from 11:00 a.m.‒1:00 p.m. PST, where Alteryx co-founder and chief customer officer Libby Duane Adams will be taking over the @alteryx Twitter feed to discuss People + Analytics.
STAY PUT.
READ
What drives digital transformation success? In “The Essential Guide to Analytic Process Automation,” discover how the convergence of analytics, data science and process automation is accelerating successful digital transformation and fuelling business outcomes.
WATCH
See How Coca-Cola, PwC and IDC Help Accelerate Digital Transformation with APA.